Big Z and the ever-evolving basketball big man

An off-season Razorback Reels...oh...and Mary Poppins

If it hasn’t become apparent yet, Kyle and I both like to root our articles about the Arkansas Razorbacks in as much of the world outside of sports as possible. Whether historical anecdotes, extended metaphors, song lyrics, or sitcom references, our word nails are their sturdiest when they find a context stud.

That common approach probably comes from two sources. The first is our shared high school writing instructor/debate coach, who I still consider one of my favorite teachers. The second is Mary Poppins.

That’s actually rule number two for me as I sit down to start writing anything here: make things unique to me—write the way only I can. I’ve never read a basketball article that mentions the iconic Julie Andrews character, so I guess I’m the dusty ol’ sumbitch who was born to write it.

So what’s rule number one?

Root everything in data with an ample sample size.

And that’s the rule I intend to break today.

One sweet, sweet play from a new Razorback

In the same way that no one play from Saturday’s loss to Oklahoma State carries the entire burden of the outcome, no fan should make sweeping generalizations from one data point or a single film clip. One game doesn’t make or break a season, and one number doesn’t tell a whole story.

That’s been the whole point of Razorback Reels from the outset. Rather than just come on here after Arkansas basketball games and say, “Anthony Black is a good point guard,” the Reels format lets me say, “Anthony Black impacts the game on both ends of the floor. Here are three examples of him facilitating for others out of the pick and roll, three clips of him using his length defensively, and three instances of him pushing the pace in transition.” Both are true, but one has a tad more gravitas.

So, what I’m going to do today is antithetical to the entire spirit of what I’ve done for a few years, and I genuinely don’t care. I’m that excited about what’s in the clip. If these are typically reels, we’ll call today a short film.

As I went through the film to find clips demonstrating key elements of John Calipari’s dribble-drive offense (here and here if you missed either part), I found a little gem of a play from Kentucky transfer Zvonimir Ivisic. This one clip has me so stinking excited about Arkansas basketball.

I’ve built it up enough. Let’s roll the tape and let the clip finally speak for itself.

I’ll give you a second to pick your jaw up off the floor and wipe the tear out of your eye. I get what you’re experiencing right now. That’s the most moving ten seconds of my year, and in March, I held my daughter for the first time.

Ivisic motions for Reed Sheppard to inbound the ball to him up high so he can use his length to go and get it. Ivisic catches the ball on the wing, secures it, and immediately pivots into a dribble handoff with Sheppard. Nothing spectacular up to that point. It’s just a routine play for a modern big to make.

Sheppard kicks the ball out to the top of the key to Rob Dillingham, and Ivisic heads down to the low block when he sees Dillingham start to dribble-penetrate, as is called for in Calipari’s offensive approach. This was also nothing extraordinary or spectacular.

But like The Sixth Sense, Ivisic’s first two actions on this possession were just a prelude for a wild third act. Dillingham passes to Ivisic, who immediately touch passes the ball to his cutting Kentucky Wildcats Arkansas Razorbacks teammate Adou Thiero for the jam.

I’ve probably watched this clip 1000 times. On the surface, it’s just a nice little basketball play by a player who, for at least that possession, is incredibly attuned to his role and where his teammates are on the court.

Truthfully, that’s probably all it is.

But what if…and hear me out on this…it isn’t? What if there’s more to it? Like…a lot more. Every time I watch the clip, I can’t help but think…What if we got us one of them Wembanyamas?

I get it’s ridiculous. Ivisic isn’t Wembanyama or Jokic or Giannis or even Chet Holmgren. Rationally, I understand that. Irrationally, though, European imported skilled bigs are currently dominating the NBA. They’re magical, mythical basketball figures who defy the laws of physics to command their big bodies to facilitate for teammates like guards.

And now the Hogs have one. This could simply represent a player following his coach to a new school. Or, it could mean that Calipari will do something on the court with the Arkansas Razorbacks that fans haven’t seen since the 90s: be on the cutting edge.

Who cares if this Razorback Reels breaks rule number one? That clip isn’t just a spoonful of sugar. It’s Fun Dip. It’s a family-size bag of Sour Patch Kids. It’s one of those giant Pixie Sticks.

Let’s rot our teeth, y’all!